Author: Kunal Basu

Enjoyable novel set in the last decades of empire. Written from the perspective of a semi-anglicised Indian and his Anglo-Indian adopted son, the story takes you from India to China and on to Borneo. Not a great deal of action, but the story covers a lot of ground, emotionally, historically and geographically.

My first encounter with Kunal Basu, and a good bank holiday read about persian artists in the indian kingdoms of the 16th century. It’s not going to be to everyone’s taste, but I enjoyed the mix of history, art, culture and politics in an exotic setting. The inclusion of a few minatures by way of illustation/example would have enhanced the novel for the non-art historians amongst us!